How To Get Ripped

For most guys in the gym, figuring out how to get ripped is a priority. Some just want to be “big,” but they make up a very small group of the population. Most men want more: They want to not only be big, but also be lean enough that all of their muscle definition is visible. After all, for most of you, part of the reason for going to the gym is to help you look better. Learning how to get ripped will certainly accomplish that.

But what does it take to get ripped? A proper diet? A specific exercise program? Or is there a supplement that holds the key to making the biggest difference? It takes time to get ripped. Unfortunately, it isn’t an overnight phenomenon and it will take a considerable amount of hard work, but if you approach this work smartly it’ll take far less time to get ripped than if you don't.

Those who don't train with productive methods end up spending more time in the gym, but they see less drastic results. Be sure you keep the following in mind when you want to get ripped so you don’t become a part of that particular group of individuals.

Diet

Potentially, the single most important factor in your quest to get ripped will be your diet. Getting lean is about 70% dietary effort, 20% proper workout programming technique, 5% psychological (because, let’s face it, temptation is around every corner), and 5% sheer determination.

That said, don’t fall into the trap of thinking there is one single diet that is going to get you results. There are a number of very good diet setups out there that you can most definitely follow to achieve your goals.

Be certain that you are consuming fewer calories than you need to maintain your weight. Fat loss is really just a simple mathematical equation; it considers the compounding factors of where calories come from, times when your meals are being eaten, and so on. These are all personal preferences that help to determine whether or not you're able to stick with the diet in question.

If you don’t stick with the diet you aren’t losing fat, are you? So, whatever diet is going to be most comfortable for you, while still allowing you to eat hypo-calorically, is the one you should be following to get ripped.

The one exception would be protein intake, as you should be consuming a minimum of one gram per pound of body mass in order to prevent muscle loss. Losing weight is of no use if you aren’t losing fat weight. That’s the critical factor that will determine whether you end up looking like a smaller version of your current self at the end of the diet or a version that is leaner and appears more muscular.

Rather than giving you specific foods to eat, shoot for a calorie intake of between 10 and 12 multiplied by your body weight. This is a fairly good approximation of the calories you should be consuming for weight loss, along with one gram of protein per pound of body weight.

After that, aim for 15% of those remaining calories for fat (or higher, whatever your preference) and fill in the rest with carbs.

It should be clear, if you’ve ever tried dieting before, that certain foods will help satisfy your appetite better and keep your blood sugar levels under control (thus, preventing rebound hunger), so the more you can incorporate these types of foods the better the chances you’ll have when you try to get ripped.

Remember to take in some protein and carbohydrates around your workout period, for both muscle glycogen replenishment and to help give you the energy you need to get through the workouts in the first place.